Transcript

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er three months since the siege began, it appears to be over. An alliance of Syrian rebels and Kurdish fighters, backed by American air power, declaring they've retaken the key city of Manbij, from the so-called Islamic State. A reported 2,000 civilians evacuating the city, said to be used as human shields during the occupation.

00:00:23

For many, celebration. Others, cursing the destruction brought to their town. Women, among the fighters, sweeping the city for remnants, up to 100 are thought to be holed up in the city's center. The loss of Manbij is the most significant in a string of setbacks for Islamic State. The northern city, close to the Turkish border, was a conduit for foreign recruits and weapons into IS territory.

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The fight to reclaim it, slow and brutal.

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Dozens of civilians were believed killed in a suspected American airstrike in July, and Kurdish sources told Reuters, over 500 IS vehicles, some carrying civilians, escaped the city under a secret agreement between the warring factions. Washington has said victory in this city would set the groundwork for a coming battle at Raqqah, Islamic State's defacto capitol, in Syria.